


how come she married him? she hated him.

by hannahsviolets



Category: Lovely Little Losers, Nothing Much to Do
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, marauders au!!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-07-29 16:29:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7691590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannahsviolets/pseuds/hannahsviolets
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The NMTD fic no one asked for in which the characters attend Hogwarts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Okay so this is a thing I'm starting. I want this to be really long, okay??? I'm so nervous I'm sorry! This has all the themes of NMTD while taking place in the Marauders era of Hogwarts. Some of the characters are clearly meant to be HP characters (ex. Beadick = Jily) but others are just their own characters. Enjoy!  
> Also please review.

   Beatrice Duke sat on the train to Hogwarts with her head leaning against the window, listening to her friends. It was raining lightly outside and she’d always loved the sound of rain, so much in fact that she found herself spacing out and ignoring her friends completely. She thought of listening to the light and gentle sound tonight while she slept in her four poster bed at school, underneath the luxurious sheets that she had missed desperately over the summer.

   Her cousin, Hero Duke, snapped her out of this. “Beatrice, aren’t you listening?”

   She turned her head, “Hmmm? Uh, yeah. Go on,”

   Hero shook her head at her and giggled. Beatrice was positive that Hero was without a doubt the loveliest person who had ever existed. Not only did she have the face of an angel and long golden hair that framed her face and gave the illusion that she was glowing, but she was an angel on the inside too. She never had a bad word to say about anything, not even people who were completely vile. She made even Beatrice, who had something negative to say about everyone, see the world as a better place.

   “We were just discussing whether or not Ursula should ask out Marlene McKinnon,” Hero explained.

   Ursula was blushing so much that she’d turned completely into a bright shade of red. Meg Winter, the last member of their quartet, elbowed her in the ribs.

   “Marlene’s pretty nice,” said Meg. “And she’s hot,”

   Ursula pushed her glasses up her nose. “She’s . . . I don’t know . . . I mean, I don’t even know if she likes girls,”

   “Are you kidding? She totally does,” Beatrice rolled her eyes.

   “What proof do you have of this? Have you asked her yourself?” Ursula asked.

   Meg groaned loudly. “Oh, who cares? We can find out when we get to school. But if she is, you have to go out with her. We’re in out seventh year and you haven’t had a relationship yet! It’s a bit sad,”

   “Neither have Beatrice or Hero!” Ursula insisted.

   “Well, Hero’s saving herself for Claudio and Beatrice hates everyone,” Meg explained like it was obvious.

   Claudio was a quiet boy in Beatrice’s year that Hero had been mooning over since she’d first come to Hogwarts. Beatrice had heard many stories about the two of them staying up talking late at night in the Hufflepuff common room.

   “I’m not saving myself for him,” Hero blushed.

   “It’s fascinating to me how people are being killed left and right and all you three care about is who you’re going to be snogging this year,”

   All three girls looked at Beatrice for a moment with sadness knowing how right she was. It seemed like every day that the Daily Prophet was reporting on a new death. Three of her parents’ couple friends had been killed just over the summer. Meg was the one who spoke first, though. “It’s not like we don’t care. But it’s not a very happy to think about is it? Now love? That’s a beautiful thing. That’s what will get us through this thing,”

   Hero smiled. “Well said, Meg,”

   “Which is exactly _why_ you should get started with Claudio already,” she explained and Hero’s smile turned into an awkward grimace. “He’s a good looking guy! And he plays Quidditch! It’s not like other girls won’t notice him!”

   Beatrice thought that was a load of bullshit, frankly. Claudio was just as taken Hero as she was with him. The two of them had spent the summer corresponding via owl – Hero had read nearly every letter aloud to her cousin. Beatrice had spent the past summer living with Hero’s family. She considered it to be practically the best decision she’d ever made – mostly because of her love for Hero, but also because it gave her a break from her sister, Petunia. As if being called a mudblood at school wasn’t enough, she had to deal with Petunia calling her a freak and much more rude names at home as well. So when her parents had said she could stay with Hero, she jumped at the chance. Hero was a muggleborn like herself. It had been quite a shock to the Duke family to have two witches in the family, even more shocking to have them separated by only one year.

   “Claudio . . . we’re just friends!” Hero insisted.

   “Right,” said Ursula. “And I’m straight,”

   “Well then what about you, Beatrice?” asked Meg, ignoring Hero.

   Beatrice made a face. “What about me? You know how I feel about relationships,”

   “All I want to know is whether or not you’re finally going to give it a go with Ben this year,”

   Benedick Hobbes was one of Beatrice’s fellow Gryffindors. He was perhaps the worst person she’d ever come in contact with – he was loud, rude, arrogant. Condescending without realizing it. But for some reason, her friends thought he was fit and that Beatrice should go out with him. Because Ben _liked_ her. That was the worst part.

   “I would literally rather Bat-Bogey Hex myself than go anywhere near Benedick,”

   “Alright, then how about Pedro?” asked Meg.

   “No. I don’t care about boys! They’re lame and annoying. I have better things to focus on – you know, like being head girl this year,” she said with a large smile, waiting for the congratulations from her friends.

   Meg and Ursula clapped and Hero pulled her to her, giving her a side hug. “I’m so proud of you, Bea!” said Hero. “There’s no better choice! No offense, girls,”

   “Yeah, it’s a big responsibility. Are you sure you can do it?” asked Ursula.

   Beatrice nodded. “I was a prefect for two years, I know how to handle Hogwarts. And besides, it’s not that much different than being a prefect. It’s just a title,”

   “The best title you could get! You’re in charge of everyone in school! It’s like Dumbledore, then the Heads of Houses, then the teachers and then you! Do you know who Head Boy is yet?” said Meg.

   Beatrice shook her head. “Probably Balthazar,”

   “Oh, I’d love that! He really deserves it, he works so hard!” Ursula practically squealed.

   Meg shrugged. “He’s gotten far too many detentions,”

   “Only because of the dick and Pedro. Flitwick’s got to know that’s not his fault,” Beatrice insisted. “Whoever it is, I just hope it isn’t John,”

   All three girls groaned in agreement.

   John Donaldson was an ex friend of Beatrice’s and Hero’s. They’d had a falling out a year prior, which Beatrice didn’t like to talk about. Although she’d never admit it to her friends, he was perhaps the one person that she hated more than Benedick. She’d done a good job of avoiding him and she couldn’t wait to continue doing the same thing this year. And avoiding Benedick too.

* * *

 

   Meanwhile, near the back of the train, Benedick Hobbes was showing off his new remembrall to his own friends, while they played a game of exploding snap.

   “You’re always forgetting something. That thing’s always going to be red,” said Ben’s best friend, Pedro Donaldson.

   “That’s not true! I remembered to pack my things, didn’t I?”

   “No, you didn’t. Your mother packed them for you,”

   Pedro had been Ben’s best friend since their first train ride to Hogwarts six years ago. They’d bonded instantly and they’d been practically inseparable ever since. Pedro was probably the most popular boy in school – good looking, charming and with a thirst for adventure, sometimes Ben didn’t know how he’d get along without him. Pedro’d also been living with for the past year, much to Ben’s happiness, as he’d been thrown out of the house by his own family.

   Ben looked over at Claudio, and thought about how his friend might benefit from the remembrall more than he. “Claudio,” he looked up. “Why don’t you have it?”

   Claudio eyed him suspiciously. “What’s the catch?”

   “Catch? Why has there always got to be a catch? I just figured you might benefit from it more than I will,” And it was true. Claudio wasn’t the quiet, bookish type like Balthazar or the rebellious, cool type like Pedro. He was just Claudio and he always seemed to be trying extra hard to fit in, which didn’t go unnoticed by Ben. He wanted Claudio to feel accepted in their group.

   He tossed the remembrall to Claudio, who smiled and pocketed it.

   “So what did you two do this summer?” Balthazar asked, looking up from his cards.

   “Ben’s parents took on this awesome trip to Godric’s Hollow. Honestly for a history lesson, it was actually really cool. They say that that’s where the Deathly Hallows originated!” Pedro said, excitedly.

   “Thanks for the invite, Ben,” Balthazar said, but Ben knew that he was joking.

   “What did you even do? It couldn’t have been all that interesting,” said Claudio.

   “It really wasn’t,” Ben shook his head. “I have no idea why you liked it so much,”

   Pedro smirked. “Because my family would’ve hated it,”

   Ben laughed then, knowing the truth in the answer. “Especially John,”

   “Tell us again about how you jinxed him again, Ben!” said Claudio, sitting up a little straighter.

   “You were there,” Ben shook his head. As much fun as teasing John had been for the past six years, he’d found that it had gotten a bit boring over the summer. It wasn’t like John was someone he disliked – he was just a terrible person. There really wasn’t anything much to be said about a person like that – the best thing to do was to just let them be terrible. It was like it had hit him for the first time – he’d never once considered the immaturity of his pranks on John before. But then there were the times that Ben considered what he’d said to Beatrice and Hero Duke and those times made him really want to hex John badly.

   “Wouldn’t a year without any illegal jinxing be fun? You know, for a change,” Balthazar suggested.

   Ben, Pedro and Claudio all laughed out loud at that, to which Balthazar rolled his eyes. “It’s our last year at school. We should just calm down a bit is all I’m saying. There’s too much going on in the world right now to continue with silly pranks,”

   “Did you hear about Colletta Maris’s parents?” asked Pedro. “Death Eaters just snuck in one night and killed them. Colletta was at a friend’s house – came back the next morning and all that was left of her house was a pile of dirt,”

   Claudio shook his head. “That’s awful,”

   “And yet, the school let’s Death Eaters walk around the halls like it’s no big deal,” Ben said angrily.

   Pedro made a face, a bit sad about the reality of the path his brother had chosen. Balthazar gave Ben a look to cut it out, but he continued. “I mean, seriously! Robbie, Cora, all of them. Any time anything dark happens McGonagall wonders who did it? How can she not know? I swear I saw Cora show a Slytherin girl the Dark Mark last year!”

   “I wouldn’t put it past her,” said Claudio.

   “I’m sorry, Pedro,” said Balthazar, looking at him through hooded eyes. Pedro smiled at him.

   “It’s alright, man. Can’t help who you’re related to, can you?”

   Ben wrapped an arm around Pedro’s shoulder. “Besides! You and I are like proper brothers now! The whole lot of us – we’re sort of like brothers right?”

   Balthazar looked horrified at the idea of being brothers with Pedro, but Claudio grinned brightly and clapped his hands in agreement.

   “And as brothers, I think we need to change the subject to something a bit lighter,” said Pedro, pushing Ben off of him. “Like . . . Claudio. Hero. Explain,”

   Claudio blushed. “Explain what? There’s nothing happening,”

   “You’re full of it,” said Ben. “It’s disgusting the way you fawn all over her. ‘Oh Hero, you’re so funny.’ ‘Oh Hero, you’re so short.’ ‘Oh Hero, you’re so beautiful. ‘Oh Hero, you’re so –“

   At that point, Claudio had kicked him in the shins. “Do I really say ‘Oh, Hero’ that much?”

   “That’s not the point! The point is that relationships are a waste of time. Either just fuck whoever like Pedro does or admire from afar. Relationships ruin everything,”

   “How would you know?” asked Balthazar. “You’ve never been in one.”

   “Exactly. Because I’m smart. People are dying! There’s no time for love!”

   “Love – it will not betray you, enslave or dismay you, it will set you free,” Balthazar explained, like he’d just said the most insightful thing. Pedro smiled at him shyly, but this went unnoticed him by everyone else.

   “Then love your friends! Love your family! Love Quidditch! That’ll set you free. Not some girl,”

   “Hero isn’t just some girl,” Claudio insisted. “You wouldn’t understand. You’re too immature.”

   Pedro smirked, “Don’t mind Ben. He’s just mad because Beatrice won’t go out with him,”

   Ben turned bright red at the mention of Beatrice Duke.

   “I told you I’m over her. It was just a lapse of judgment,”

   “Mmm hmm. A lapse of judgment that lasted five years?” Claudio leaned back, clearly pleased with himself.

   Beatrice was Ben’s fellow Gryffindor. She was infuriating and perhaps the only person – aside from John, of course – who didn’t think he was amazing. And she just didn’t like him for no reason! (There was a reason, actually. Many reasons, but Ben would never admit that). But still, Ben thought Beatrice was the most amazing girl in the world. If he ever did want to be in a relationship, which he never would, it would be her. Hypothetically, of course because relationships suck and Beatrice hated his guts.

   “Well – you know I liked her at one point but . . . just forget it. I’m over her. I’ve grown up, I’ve matured,”

   “Is that why you doodled her initials on your Charms exam last year?” said Pedro and Balthazar and Claudio both laughed. Ben punched him in the arm.

   “You said that was our secret!”

   “That was before you started telling Claudio not to go after Hero! If he likes Hero, he should ask her out, simple as that,”

   “Thank you,” said Claudio, exasperated.

   “Do you think Beatrice will go out with you now that you’re Head Boy?” asked Balthazar.

   It had been the biggest shock of Ben’s life when he’d gotten the letter that he’d been elected Head Boy. He hadn’t been a prefect and he’d gotten more detentions – along with Pedro – than anyone in the school’s thousand-year history. He knew that his teachers liked him, but was being liked by them enough to get that type of honor? Ben had never seen his mother cry so hard when he showed her the letter.

   “I still say that was a joke,” said Pedro.

   “Yeah, Ben, how did you manage to pull that off?” asked Claudio.

   Ben shrugged. “If I had the answer, I would tell you,”

   “Did you sleep with Dumbledore or something?” Pedro teased and Ben laughed and pushed him again.

   He didn’t want to admit it to his friends, but he was actually beyond honored that they’d made him head boy. Nobody ever had any faith in him and to be given such a responsibility was something that Ben didn’t think he needed, but he did. Maybe he was getting to a point where people didn’t see him as a prankster and a troublemaker – people genuinely respected him. Important people. He also couldn’t wait to see the look on Beatrice’s face when she saw his head boy badge.

* * *

 

   The Sorting Hat ceremony was as boring as it nearly always was. Beatrice clapped along with the rest of Gryffindor house whenever a new student joined them, but she always hated the times where she couldn’t go off and sit with her friends. She was the only one of them in Gryffindor. She looked over to the other three houses, where each one of her friends sat, by themselves as well. Hero caught her eye and winked and Beatrice smiled.

   Also perhaps the worst thing about these times was the fact that she always somehow ended up near Benedick and Pedro. She’d been doing here best to ignore them since she’d arrived and only seen them from the corner of her eye. Thankfully, neither of them had said anything to her yet.

   They were however, talking to each other. Pedro and Ben were in deep conversation currently about who they’d rather shag – Professor Sprout or Professor Birkins. Ben had noticed how close Beatrice was to him but was choosing to ignore her no matter how badly he wanted to look over at her and see how beautiful she looked under the candlelight. But no – he was over her, so he continued on trying to convince Pedro that Sprout would be much more fun in the sack then Birkins.

   But then, mid debate, he just happened to glance over at the Slytherin table to see Beatrice’s friend Meg leaning against Robbie. He interrupted Pedro and motioned over to the two of them. They kissed and rubbed their noses together and Pedro and Ben both made faces.

   “Since when are they together?” asked Pedro.

   “No idea,” said Ben, in disbelief.

   “Do you think Beatrice and Hero know?” asked Pedro, whispering their names.

   “Well if they didn’t, they do now,” Ben was completely horrified. Although he didn’t know Beatrice’s gaggle of girlfriends, he’d always liked Meg. She was funny and always had witty comebacks to give to the professors, but never did he think her to be the type to be involved with the Dark Arts. Especially when two of her best friends were muggle borns! Anyone in Ben’s position would’ve assumed the worst of Meg. No one gets involved with one of You-Know-Who’s most devoted followers without agreeing with them. But Ben’s biggest mistake was saying this out loud and far too loud apparently, because it was then that Beatrice said loudly from behind him:

   “You keep her name out of your mouth. You don’t know anything, dick face,”

   He heard Pedro sigh audibly, readying himself for the impending argument.

   Ben turned around and puffed out his chest, “Hello to you too, Beatrice. Enjoy your summer holiday?”

   Beatrice’s already unpleasant expression became far more unpleasant. “Don’t say anything about Meg. You don’t know anything about her,”

   “It wasn’t necessarily about Meg, more about the git she’s over there snogging,”

   “Benedick,” Beatrice interrupted.

   Ben kicked his feet back. “We’ve known each other for a long time, right? So we clearly need to get this whole name thing sorted. It’s three letters so it’s not too complicated. It’s B for bumble bee, E for echidna and N for nurse. Ben.”

   “You don’t need to patronize me every time you talk,” Beatrice crossed her arms over her chest. “As I was saying, _Benedick,_ don’t talk about my friends and we won’t have a problem,”

   “We always seem to have a problem though, don’t we?”

   “We wouldn’t if you learned how not to be a complete dick,” Beatrice looked like she was going to turn away and then slowly she noticed the badge on his robes. “What is _that?”_

   “My robes,” he said, trying and failing to be cute.

   “No, that badge. That Head Boy badge. Where did you get that?”

   “It’s mine,”

   Beatrice barked out a fake laugh. “No, I’m serious, who did you nick that from?”

   “I am serious,” said Ben.

   “Trust me, Beatrice, he’s serious. I don’t understand it either,” said Pedro.

   It was then that Ben noticed the Head Girl badge on Beatrice’s robe and he moved closer on the bench to her. “Well, well, well. Head Girl and Head Boy?”

   “No,” said Beatrice, shaking her head in disgust. “There’s got to be a mistake. You weren’t even a prefect last year!”

   “Apparently, McGonagall and Dumbledore don’t seem to think that matters much. Just face it Beatrice – the two of us are going to be spending loads of time together this year,”

   Beatrice didn’t even bother responding to that. She simply turned away, still clearly annoyed and trying to figure out how this could’ve happened.

   Ben turned back to Pedro and whispered, “She wants me,”

   To which Pedro simply said, “Okay,” in a way that could’ve been interpreted as genuine or sarcastic. Ben interpreted it as the former.


	2. Chapter 2

   It had been exactly a week since she’d found out that Benedick was Head Boy and since then, Beatrice had been avoiding him at all costs. At the prefects meeting that the two of them had led, she’d said what she’d needed to say and went upstairs to the girls dormitories so fast that no one else had even turned to leave yet. There couldn’t be anything worse then being forced to work closely with Benedick, she regretted even being Head Girl at all. Perhaps the only upside was the bathroom that she got all to herself (Benedick was supposed to share it as well, but he hardly ever went in there. He preferred to use Balthazar’s prefect status to get into the prefect bathroom).

   Just as she was walking to Potions, thinking about how Benedick was the scum of the world, someone even worse approached her and she was suddenly face to face with John Donaldson. “Beatrice –“ he started.

   “Leave me alone,” she rolled her eyes and hurried past him but he followed her.

   “C’mon Beatrice, aren’t you ever going to forgive me?”

   “No. I’m not,” She just remembered that John was going the same way as her – Gryffindors had Potions with the Slytherins.

   “Well what about Hero then? Do you think she’s forgiven me? I’m sorry . . . again!” John said.

   Beatrice then stopped and glared at John with every ounce of hate in her body. “Don’t you dare speak about Hero! You don’t even deserve to be in the same room with her after what you’ve done,”

   “I’ve apologized for that a million times,” said John.

   “And I’m over that,” Beatrice admitted. John looked hopeful for a moment. “But we’ve gone our separate ways – we’re on different paths now and sorry to tell you, but Hero and I don’t converse with Death Eaters,”

   John stared at her in disbelief, and Beatrice couldn’t figure out why this was so surprising to him. She knew the sort of people he hung around with.

   In order to really understand the history behind Beatrice, Hero and John, we need to go back a few years. The three of them had met before they’d started attending Hogwarts and when it came time for Beatrice and John to attend Hogwarts, they were still the best of friends and then Hero came in the next year and the three of them had become practically inseparable – aside from the fact that they were in different houses. But as time went by, John began to change and it felt like he was no longer the quiet boy they once knew. He was hanging around with the wrong kinds of people and it was making Beatrice and Hero uncomfortable. But then there came the day in their fifth year.

   Beatrice and Hero had been walking to their next exam when they came across Benedick and his pack of douchebags surrounding John, who was floating in the air. The two of them ran over to see Ben, performing a jinx on him to keep him suspended there.

   “Let him go!” Hero cried out.

   Benedick turned to see the two of them there and raised his eyebrows, but didn’t say anything. Claudio groaned and said, “Oh, here we go.”

   “Come off it, Benedick,” Beatrice approached him fearlessly, tugging her wand out from her robes. “Get off your high horse,”

   “How are exams going for you, Beatrice?” Benedick said, ignoring her statement. Hero was now standing beneath John, looking like she was about to cry, while John avoided her eyes.

   “Fuck you,” she shook her head. “Four against one, then? Is that really the way you want to do this? I knew you were a bully but this is beyond even you,”

   “It’s not bullying!” Claudio insisted loudly. “It’s John!”

   Balthazar scratched the back of his head and Hero looked to Pedro, almost desperately. “Pedro, honestly! He’s your brother – can’t you put your differences aside? This is a little much!”

   Pedro ignored her.

   Benedick was being oddly quiet, like he was thinking something over and Beatrice knew what he was going to say before he even said it. He always got the same look on his face right before his usual confident stare came back. “You know, Beatrice, I’ll tell you what. How would you like it if I never bothered John again? Just left him alone?”

   She knew it was a trick question and rolled her eyes.

   “I’ll make you a deal. You go out with me, and I’ll let John down right now. Never bother him again,”

   Beatrice felt like she was going to vomit all over him. “I wouldn’t go out with you if the fate of humanity depended on it!”

   “Ben – please,” said Hero. “Please – just let him go,”

   Now Claudio was pleading with his eyes to tell Ben to cut it out. Pedro saw this and groaned loudly, “Just leave it Ben,”

   “No! I don’t understand, it’s not as if John’s like the fucking Queen of England! He’s a douchebag –“

   “ _You’re_ a douchebag, Benedick! You are the biggest prick on this planet! God, even your friends are telling you to quit it and you can’t stop! Just fucking stop, God!”

   And then finally, Benedick did. John fell to the ground with a thud. He stood up, his face red, and wiped the dirt off of his robes.

   “You're lucky your friends were here,” he mumbled.

   “I don’t need help from those mudbloods,”

   Beatrice’s heart had literally stopped in that moment. John was her friend and yes, she knew he was in Slytherin and yes, she knew the history of Slytherin house, but she never thought that John, _John,_ would say such a thing to her. And to Hero. Hero, who was so sensitive and so sweet and didn’t deserve to ever have a word like that thrown in her face. “Fuck you,” said Beatrice, with more malice in her voice than there had been when she’d said it to Benedick.

   “John,” came Hero, who was trembling and Balthazar took a step closer to her in support.

   It was perhaps the most heartbreaking sound Beatrice had ever heard and Benedick must’ve agreed. He didn’t move or raise his voice, he just said almost quietly, “Apologize to them,”

   “We don’t need you to defend us!” Beatrice walked over and took Hero’s arm, starting to lead her away.

   “Just leave it Ben, let’s go,” said Pedro, who didn’t seem to know what else to say.

   He tugged on his arm but Benedick pushed him off of him. “APOLOGIZE TO THEM RIGHT NOW!”

   Beatrice and Hero stopped walking and stared at him in shock. John did nothing, just kept standing there, a look mixed with remorse and confusion upon his face. And when he did that, Ben took out his wand and pushed him into a tree. “APOLOGIZE! YOU FOUL PIECE OF SHIT –“

   “Alright!” John screamed back in his face. “Sorry,”

   “A REAL APOLOGY!”

   Beatrice at that moment, pulled Benedick around to face her and off of John. “You’re no better than he is! You’re a bully! You don’t get to act superior!”

   “I would _never_ call you –“

  “I don’t care!” Beatrice pushed him just like Benedick had done to John moments before. “Stay away from me! Just – stay away!”

   And by the time she was gone, John was gone too and Benedick couldn’t do anything.

   So yes. Beatrice and John hadn’t spoken since then. She was almost positive Hero hadn’t either but Hero was far more forgiving than she was and had insisted on several occasions that since John had apologized so many times maybe she should give him a break.

   Finally, she arrived in the dungeons and had the perfect excuse to ignore John’s belligerent apologies. Potions was Beatrice’s best class – she was Professor Slughorn’s favorite student and she always got to be partners with Meg.

   “Ah, Miss Duke! How are you today?” said Slughorn with a big smile when he saw her.

   “Oh you know, the usual,” she responded.

   She took her usual seat in the middle of the room next to Meg, who was chatting with Robbie. Beatrice gave him a quiet hello, not really wanting to acknowledge him. She’d been meaning to talk to Meg about Robbie but had been putting it off for a while. Thankfully, class began in a few minutes and Robbie walked across the room to take his place next to John.

   Their assignment for the class was to create a Growth potion (which led to many innuendos from Benedick and Pedro in the back of the room). Meg read the directions over before looking to Beatrice to ask her for help, who advised her carefully.

   Once they’d gotten started, Beatrice took a breath and said, “So you and Robbie are getting serious?”

   Meg smiled but didn’t look up. “Yep. He told me I’m like, the hottest girl he's been with – which I know, but still? Isn’t that sweet?”

   Beatrice faked a choking noise.

   “Taking that as ‘Yes, it’s sweet,’” Meg cut up some slug hearts and tossed them into her cauldron.

   “I just . . . can I ask you something?” said Beatrice quietly.

   Meg nodded.

   “I . . . well . . . you know that Robbie hangs around with John and Cora, right?”

   Meg looked over at Beatrice suspiciously. “Yes.”

   “I’m just telling you because I love you, but you know what they’re into right?”

   “I know what John and Cora are into. It doesn’t necessarily mean that Robbie is into the same things,”

   Beatrice raised her eyebrows. “John called me and Hero mudbloods. How can you be friends with someone who says that and not have the same mindset?”

   “I don’t – I don’t know, Beatrice! I’m not Robbie! All I know is what he’s told me which is that he’s not into those things. It’s really rude of you to enforce Slytherin stereotypes,”

   Meg was beginning to get loud and Beatrice lowered her voice hoping Meg would do the same. “I don’t enforce Slytherin stereotypes. You’re one of my best friends and you’re in Slytherin. It’s just – I have to be cautious of certain people than you do. I’m muggleborn, Hero’s muggleborn. I have to look out for us,”

   “First of all, stop condescending to me. I understand your situation perfectly well –“

   Meg was interrupted by a loud explosion that came from Benedick and Pedro’s cauldrons. Their faces were covered with smoke and they were punching each other softly, blaming the other for the destruction. As Professor Slughorn and the class were now preoccupied, Beatrice and Meg became distracted.

   “What does Benedick even need a Growing potion for? He’s already the biggest dick in the world!” Beatrice huffed.

   “A dick that you want,” Meg smirked.

   Beatrice shoved her to the side playfully and tried (and failed) not to get that image in her head.

* * *

 

   Ben was having a particularly rough day. He’d been forced to sit next to Claudio and Hero in the library, who spent more time making googly eyes at each other than actually talking (or studying for that matter). After that, he’d accidentally run straight into Professor Durham who’d given him a five minute lecture on why “running in the halls was disruptive” and was late to History of Magic, where Professor Binns bored him to sleep. And then of course, he’d had Potions where he and Pedro had blown up their cauldrons because they’d been too preoccupied making dick jokes.

   The only good thing that had happened all day was taking a walk around the exterior of the castle with Balthazar, who was good for conversation and good when he needed a level headed person to be around. Ben was trying extra hard to convince himself that this would be the last good thing that happened that day and that he wasn’t looking forward to the Head Boy and Girl meeting with Beatrice that night. So much so in fact, that as he walked to McGonagall’s office he kept muttering to himself _Beatrice is a bitch, Beatrice is a bitch, Beatrice is a bitch_ over and over until he believed it which he never did.

   Of course, he got there after she did. She rolled her eyes when she saw him but McGonagall (who always had the same stern look on her face) simply said, “Mr. Hobbes, please take a seat,”

   He sat down in a chair next to Beatrice (who fidgeted slightly away from him) but looked at McGonagall kindly, excited to hear about her duties for the year.

   “I’m only telling the two of you this. You may inform the prefects, but not tell them why all of this is occurring. As I’m sure you’re aware, things haven’t been safe in our world recently,” she paused and eyed both of them. “So Professor Dumbledore has added some safety precautions this year. There will be aurors patrolling Hogsmeade and the castle at night,”

   “Aurors? How come I haven’t seen any?” asked Ben.

   “Because they make a point of not being seen by students, Mr. Hobbes. However now that you and Miss Duke - and later the prefects - are aware, they will be available to patrol the halls with you if you feel unsafe,”

   “Why would we feel unsafe, Professor?” asked Beatrice. Ben felt an urge to tell her it was a stupid question but he didn’t.

   McGonagall folded her hands together and tried to hold back a sigh. “This does not leave this room, is that understood?”

   Ben and Beatrice nodded.

   “We have received threats from some of You Know Who’s most prominent supporters. Professor Slughorn found the Dark Mark engraved into a wall in the Slytherin common room. We worry that the school may be under attack this year,”

   A million thoughts raced through Ben’s head. He knew what was going on in the world but at Hogwarts? Hogwarts was supposed to be the safest place! There was no way anything like that could happen here but . . . the impossible was happening every day now. He thought about his parents at home – were they safe? Yes, of course. They were wealthy pure bloods but then, he remembered, they were also considered blood traitors . . . fuck. He thought about Balthazar and the prejudice against werewolves and where that could get him and Claudio and how he wasn’t the best at magic and Pedro and his connection to the Dark Arts being in his family and Beatrice and Hero and every other muggleborn.

   “Please, please do not let this get out. Do not even tell your friends. All you may tell the prefects is that aurors are patrolling the school. Everything else is confidential. Is that understood?”

   Ben didn’t think that he could not tell Pedro about this. This was too big of a secret not to tell! McGonagall seemed to be reading his mind and said, “I know it will be difficult. I know that you’ll want to tell those closest to you but you must understand the uproar it will cause if this gets out. Professor Dumbledore chose you two as Head Boy and Girl for a reason – because he trusted you the most with this,”

   So that was why he had been picked. Because Dumbledore trusted him. _Him,_ of all people. He’d had no less than sixty-seven detentions in his six years at Hogwarts and Dumbledore trusted him? Beatrice made sense, of course. She was so smart and so loyal and always doing her work and fighting for what she believed in and – forget it. It wasn’t important.

   “May I have your word you won’t tell?” asked McGonagall.

   Beatrice looked at Ben with a pained expression, like she was looking to see what his answer would be. He tentatively said, “Yes, Professor,”

   She then answered the same.

   McGonagall nodded. “You are dismissed. Prefects are to meet with you tomorrow in the Great Hall at one o’clock.”

   Ben moved out of there as fast as he could. He needed time to think this over, to convince himself that he couldn’t tell Pedro. He told Pedro everything – they were practically brothers! To not tell him would be spitting in the face of their relationship and he didn’t know if he could do that. He sat down on a bench in the hallway outside McGonagall’s office and terrifying images entered his head, all involving his friends being hurt in one way or another.

   “You’re not going to tell Pedro, are you?” came Beatrice’s voice.

   He looked over to see her standing beside him with her arms crossed over her chest.

   “Would it be any of your business if I did?”

   “Yes, actually, considering that if I can’t tell Hero you can’t tell Pedro,”

   Ben huffed and sat up straighter. “Then why don’t you just tell Hero? I’m not going to tell on you,”

   Beatrice made a face at him like she was going to say something snarky but the expression quickly changed into something that looked like confusion. “I don’t want to scare her,” she said and he thought it might be one of the most genuine things she’d ever said to him.

   He was so taken aback that he answered in the same manor. “She’s going to be scared either way. There’s a war coming, Beatrice,”

   He stood up to get closer to her.

   “I know that, dickface. I’m not stupid,”

   “There it is!” Ben threw up his hands. “There’s the Beatrice I know. Back after a brief exit,”

   Beatrice shook her head at him and began to walk away. Ben felt guilty and afraid but what he was afraid of, he wasn’t sure. He followed her quickly. “Beatrice, wait. I didn’t mean it like that,”

   “I’m really not in the mood for this tonight,” she said quietly.

   “I just – I’m sorry, alright? I’m sorry,”

   “You can take your sorrys and shove them right up your –“

   “Beatrice,” Ben stepped in front of her and she stopped, rolling her eyes once more. “Seriously. I’m sorry. I know this is rough for you. I know you want to protect Hero and I know that you’re scared because I am too and I’m not going to tell you that it’s okay to be scared because you know that but . . . whatever. I’m sorry. Alright? I want to take this seriously, I don’t even know why I started into it with you,”

   Beatrice stared at him like she’d never looked at him with before. She looked insecure and small and he’d never seen her like that, not even when they were kids. She didn’t say anything which he took as a sign of acceptance.

   They quietly walked back to the Gryffindor common room together, neither of them saying anything. All Ben could think about was how nice she smelled and how he might want to hold her hand (if he was into that sort of thing, because of course he wasn’t). And then when they arrived back to the tower, they were left staring at each other awkwardly until Ben finally said, “Goodnight, Beatrice,”

   Her lips became so thin that he could’ve sworn she’d given him a smile. “Goodnight, Ben,” and she turned and went up the staircase to the girl’s dorm.

   Ben stood there in disbelief, doing his best to try not to appreciate the fact that for the first time in six years, Beatrice had called him Ben.

* * *

 Benedick took Beatrice’s face into his hands and kissed her delicately. It was unlike anything she’d felt before, butterflies in her stomach and that foggy feeling in her mind. She kissed him back, wanting to be as close to him as possible but he pulled away from her.

   He stroked her cheek and she stared into his eyes, wanting more of him. Beatrice pulled his lips to her neck, filling with ecstasy as he sucked and kissed over and over. She suddenly couldn’t remember anything about Benedick other than his name and that he was there with her. It was like all her hatred for him had disappeared and been replaced by this moment – all that mattered was the two of them together.

   And then suddenly they were on a bed and they were naked and Ben’s arms were around her and his lips were on her breasts and she was breathing heavily and it was feeling she’d never felt before and then before she knew it, she woke up.

   Beatrice sat up straight in her four-poster bed panting, brushing her hair out of her face. She was sweating and her heart was beating straight out of her chest. It took her a few moments to fully comprehend what had happened but once she did, it took all she had not to projectile vomit on the carpet.

   There was no possible way this could be happening. It wasn’t like she’d never had a sex dream before because she’d had her fair share but this was impossible. Maybe she was still in a dream. Benedick Hobbes was the worst! He was loud and rude and arrogant and everything she hated! He wasn’t hot!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yes chapter two!! y'all's reviews for chapter one were super sweet and they made me smile a lot :) it took me a while to figure out what ben's reaction would be to the mudblood thing but then i remembered how he reacted when claudio called hero a slut so i think it's in character? idk.


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